London South Bank University

With a mission to train more nurses, midwives and allied health professionals to fill NHS vacancies and expand the healthcare workforce, London South Bank University (LSBU) opened a £5.8 million Centre for Health, Injury and Performance in 2025. Students can learn within 23 immersive health labs that replicate hospital wards and critical care environments, getting to grips with technical skills — such as venepuncture, cannulation and catheterisation on high-tech dummies — and review their work on video. It typifies LSBU’s practical provision and could further strengthen already improved rates of student satisfaction at the university: according to our analysis of the latest National Student Survey, LSBU ranks 59= for students’ evaluation of teaching quality (up 30 places), while a 35-place boost ranks it 68= for satisfaction with the wider experience. The university has also improved its continuation rate and the proportion of students achieving Firsts and 2.1s — all of which has helped LSBU climb 17 places up our main league table this year, to sit inside the top 100. 

LSBU students have London on their doorstep and the university’s renovated Hub is the go-to centrepiece of Southwark campus life. 

Need to know

Category

Result

Rank

Entry standards (Ucas points)

104

120

Teaching quality

86.5%

59=

Student experience

82.9%

68=

Research quality

28.8%

91

First and 2:1s

80.4%

43

Continuation rate

89.4%

97

Graduate prospects

67.3%

93

People & Planet

34.7%

112

How much it costs

UK fees

£10,050

Fees (placement year)

£0

Fees (overseas year)

£0

Fees (international)

£16,440-£17,880

Places in accommodation

1,306

Rent per week

£172-£286

Rent for catered accommodation per week

n/a

Social inclusion index

Social inclusion ranking

10=

State school (non-grammar) admissions

97.2%

Grammar school admissions

1.3%

Independent school admissions

1.5%

Ethnic minority students

80.2%

Black awarding gap

-10%

White working-class males

2.3%

First-generation students

56.6%

Low-participation areas

5.6%

Low-participation areas dropout

2.5%

Mature students

42.2%

Overseas students

15.7%

Disabled students

24.7%

Student satisfaction with teaching quality

Accounting and finance

82.6%

Archaeology and forensic science

97.9%

Architecture

82%

Art and design

88.8%

Building

86.1%

Business, management and marketing

86.7%

Chemical engineering

91.1%

Civil engineering

89.6%

Computer science

83.4%

Criminology

85%

Drama, dance and cinematics

92.9%

Economics

92.5%

Education

83.2%

Electrical and electronic engineering

90.6%

Food science

79%

General engineering

88.9%

Law

90.9%

Mechanical engineering

86%

Nursing

86.2%

Physiotherapy

84%

Psychology

82.6%

Radiography

84.6%

Social work

91.2%

Sports science

86.7%

Town and country planning and landscape

83.1%

What is London South Bank University’s academic reputation?

A university since 1992, it is part of the LSBU Group — a network that includes a further education college, a technical college, an academy school and a sixth-form. In keeping with its vocational slant, LSBU maintains one of the largest cohorts of degree apprentices in the country with more than 2,300 enrolled across 18 standards spanning the fields of health and social care, engineering and built environment, digital and marketing, and surveying and property. Professional course provision includes technology and baking science degrees delivered by its National Bakery School — the world’s oldest baking institution, founded in 1894.

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 rated 68 per cent of research submitted by LSBU as world-leading or internationally excellent (up 14 percentage points compared with the previous REF, in 2014), and LSBU ranks 91st in our research quality index.

However, the university has announced plans for a restructure to move many of its academics into new “teaching and scholarship” roles, with only a limited number of staff members eligible to apply for “teaching and research” positions. The university has said that the changes are in response to financial pressures, having forecast a financial deficit of approximately £24 million for 2024-25, and said the restructure will help protect academic roles, strengthen teaching and focus research on areas with the greatest impact. Faced with redundancies too, staff have held strikes and marking boycotts. 

LSBU maintained a silver rating overall in the government’s Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023, underpinned by a silver for student outcomes but only bronze for the student experience. The assessors highlighted LSBU’s “very high continuation and completion rates, with outstanding outcomes for some student groups and subject areas”. 

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What are London South Bank University’s entry requirements — and my chances of getting in? 

The most competitive courses need 128 Ucas tariff points, but the majority require 112 Ucas tariff points. The TEF 2023 found that more than half of full-time students enter with BTecs, access or foundation courses, or “none, unknown or other entry qualifications”, rather than with A-levels. The university will also bear any extenuating circumstances in mind. About a third of new undergraduates came through clearing in 2025.

What are the graduate prospects and how will the university help me get career-ready?

The majority of courses are accredited by professional bodies or developed in partnership with employers. LSBU capitalises on its London location by cultivating links with more than 1,500 organisations, including the National Theatre, London Underground, Bafta, the NHS, Unilever and Lidl. But in our analysis of the Graduate Outcomes survey, tracking the proportion in highly skilled work or further study after 15 months, LSBU has lost considerable ground this year, falling from 64= to 93rd.

What is London South Bank University’s campus like?

The Southwark campus, not far from the South Bank cultural complex, has been LSBU’s main base since it was founded in 1892 as the Borough Polytechnic Institute. More than £65 million has been invested: the flagship Hub reopened in 2022 hosting a new library, computer rooms and canteen. 

The School of Health and Social Care underpins LSBU’s mission to become the university of choice for the NHS and the healthcare workforce in the capital. LSBU has opened a business and healthcare campus in Croydon, with a chiropractic clinic for London’s only undergraduate master’s degree in the subject.

When can I visit? 

lsbu.ac.uk

Everything you need to know about London South Bank University’s student life

Access to the sports facilities is free, including the gym on the Southwark site, where four fitness studios deliver more than 30 classes a week. Students at the Croydon and Havering campuses can join virtual classes. 

Support for mental health includes confidential one-to-ones with a wellbeing adviser as well as self-help and online support. 

For campus culture, there’s the Edric Theatre for student productions and Elephant Studios for film, photography and broadcast production. The university’s Borough Road Gallery is a public space on campus. 

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What do the students say?

“To be a student at LSBU is to be part of a diverse, ambitious London community rooted in Southwark. With the Hub at the centre of campus, students benefit from modern study spaces, technology, food outlets and LSBU Active, while societies build a sense of belonging. LSBU combines its long history in Elephant and Castle with the energy, culture and opportunity of London, giving students a practical and vibrant university experience.”
Rahi Alam, president, Students' Union

What about student accommodation at London South Bank University?

Fifteen per cent of first-years lived in LSBU’s halls in 2025-26. There is no specific accommodation guarantee but the university says it can house all students who need it. Private rents locally are about £210 per week. 

How diverse and inclusive is London South Bank University?

Eight in ten students are from ethnic minority backgrounds (the fourth highest nationally) and 97.2 per cent are from nonselective state schools (12=), putting LSBU in 10th place in our social inclusion index (up from 31st last year). Outreach work includes targeted support to schools with a high percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals, and sessions for pupil referral units, and those with English as a second language. 

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What financial assistance is available?

There are bursaries of £1,000 a year for care leavers, students estranged from their families, and young carer students. The Lawrence Burrows Education Trust funds ten bursaries of £3,600 for students with a West Indian or Asian background.